Treadmill Training

Five great run-on-the-mill workouts to make the best use of a treadmill's programmable features.

The treadmill can be more than a stopgap on days when the weather doesn't cooperate or the baby is napping upstairs. Done right, treadmill training will help you maintain and improve your fitness throughout the winter so you're ready to race—or just outpace your running buddies—come spring.

Even the hardy runners of Team USA Minnesota, a group of elites accustomed to subzero chills, make time for treadmill running. In fact, Dennis Barker, the team's coach, once lined up some of his marathoners for a three hour run indoors. "If you have a winter or spring marathon like Houston or Disney World, the treadmill gives you some heat training without having to go down to Florida," Barker says. "Besides, you can't leave your fluid bottles outside for long runs in Minnesota. They'll freeze."

That certainly won't happen indoors, where you also can monitor the thermostat, tackle made-to-order hills, and enjoy cushioning that protects your joints. Most important, you force yourself to stick to a pace. "You've got to keep up, or you're flying off the back of the machine," says Rick Morris, author of Treadmill Training for Runners.

It may take a little experimenting to build a routine you enjoy. That's fine—just don't get locked in. "Be playful with your workouts," says Gregory Florez, a treadmill expert and CEO of Fit Advisor. com. "One day do a steady run, the next do intervals. Never get locked into the same routine, otherwise your body is going to adapt pretty quickly and you won't get as much out of it." With that kind of improvisation in mind, here are five workouts that make the best use of a treadmill's programmable features.

RACE SIMULATIONSDo it to train for the courseSome treadmills offer simulations of famous races, like the Boston Marathon and Bolder Boulder, to let you mirror the topography indoors and practice the hills in a condensed run.

The Workout: If your treadmill doesn't have your race as a preset course, you can use a race's elevation map to time your ups and downs on the treadmill to mimic the course. For instance, say you know there's a killer hill two-thirds of the way into a 10-K you've entered. Hit that "up" incline button at the same point in your treadmill run, and get used to the feeling.

Inside Scoop: Don't let yourself be surprised on race day. When you get to that hill, you can think that you've done it before—and it felt much worse when you were in your basement.

RANDOM INTERVALSDo it to mix it upUnpredictable incline and speed changes provide a more complete workout than a steady pace on a flat surface, because they force you to work different muscles.

The Workout: Just a little variation in your run helps the time go by much faster. Try a 10-minute warmup, 20 minutes of random intervals, and a 10-minute cooldown.

Inside Scoop: If you don't have much time for a run, you'll get an extra burst of intensity in a short duration. Plus, a mystery workout is a healthy change for obsessive runners who like to plot out and then log every split.

SPEED INTERVALSDo it to get fasterWhen doing intervals at the track, almost everyone slows down the last few repeats, because they're fatigued. Morris says, "On the treadmill, you can only slow down when the belt does."

The Workout: Try 3 x 3 minutes at about 10 seconds faster per mile than 5-K pace. (It takes the treadmill a few seconds to reach your interval speed, so start timing the three minutes after you've reached that pace.) Give yourself two minutes of easy jogging in between. Add another set every two weeks.

Inside Scoop: This workout is a killer. But the results will show at your next race.

SITCOM TEMPO RUNDo it to lock in your paceTempo runs are hard to get right. Inexperienced runners tend to go too fast or too slow. Once you've entered your target pace, the treadmill makes sure you stay at the right speed.

The Workout: Start with a 10-minute warmup, and move up to your tempo pace when a Seinfeld rerun begins. Jog during the commercials, and resume the faster pace when the show comes back on. Cool down for five minutes.

Inside Scoop: The tube can be a welcome distraction from the tedium of a long, fast effort. As you improve,try maintaining your tempo pace through the commercials.

HILL REPEATSDo it to design your own terrainYou can control the grade of the hill, and you don't have the stress on your quads of running down it. Instead, you can flatten the belt for a few minutes of recovery, then go right back at it.

The Workout: Try one-minute runs up a 4% incline with two minutes of slow, flat jogging in between. Build up to 10 repeats at a 6% incline.

Inside Scoop: This workout gives your cardiovascular system a challenge but is easier on your legs because your overall speed isn't fast. "I've found over the years that I can stay injury-free while running slower up a steep hill," says Olympic marathoner Magdalena Lewy Boulet. "It's the same intensity as on a track, but on a track your legs have to move much faster."